The Unfinished Task (Mark 16:1-8)

A sermon preached on Sunday, August 29, 2010 at Hebron Baptist Church, Denham Springs, Louisiana by Pastor Joe Alain.

Scripture Reading: Mark 16:1-8
Occasion: Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

The Sabbath had ended (our Saturday evening) and some of the women who were followers of Jesus gathered up the spices and materials necessary, “so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body” (v.1). Because of the Sabbath, Jesus had received a hasty burial. The women were coming to properly anoint him in a last act of love and devotion.

After gathering what they needed, the next morning “just after sunrise” (v.2) they began their journey to the tomb. The women came that first morning with no other expectation than to see the body of Jesus. They as well as all the other disciples were not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead. Their preoccupation that morning had to do with the details of how they were going to get into the tomb. “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” they asked among themselves (v.3). Tombs were enclosed with large circular-like stones that had to be rolled aside. The women knew that they themselves would not be capable
of this.

But their prayers were answered “when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away” (v.4). Matthew’s account fills in the details (28:2, 4). “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. . . The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” The angel did not roll away the stone to let Jesus out of the tomb, he rolled away the stone so that we might look in.

As the women entered the tomb, “they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed” (v.5). Knowing the women were frightened the angel spoke, “Don’t be alarmed” (v.6). Some of the most encouraging words spoken in the Bible are “Fear not,” “Don’t be alarmed.” God speaks to us in our fears, our worries, our anxieties, a little word that has a powerful effect, “Fear not.” The angel made it clear that the one they were looking for is “Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified” (v.6). Mark wants us to know that the one who was crucified is a real historical person, “Jesus the Nazarene.” However, He is crucified no longer, “He is risen!” “He is not here,” the grave is empty!

The angel has a three-fold message for the women, all imperatives: (1) “See” (v.6b) the place where Jesus was laid. See for yourselves that Jesus is not here, the tomb has been vacated. The empty tomb is a powerful symbol that death has been emptied of its power by the risen Christ. In Christ, you and I have the blessed assurance that death has been defeated, it has been stripped of its power of us. Listen to Hebrews 2:14, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil.” See also, 2 Timothy 2:10.

(2) “Go” (v.7a) from the grave. If the body of Jesus had remained in the grave, the grave would be a place to linger, a place to mourn, to grieve, but since it’s empty, it no longer is a cemetery, a place to grieve, it has now become a place of hope and renewed joy. (3) “Tell” (v.7a) “his disciples and Peter.” Don’t forget to tell Peter because he needs to know that his failure was not final. God is going to restore him. Because Christ is alive, our failures are not final! The content of the message is two-fold: (1) Jesus “is going ahead of you into Galilee” (v.7b), a fulfillment of 14:28 and (2) “You will see him, just as he told you” (v.7b). The reality for us is that Christ always goes before us into our Galilee. As we meet him in our daily lives, we too see Him by faith.

“Bewildered, the women went out and fled the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid” (v.8). Most biblical scholars today hold to the view that Mark’s Gospel ends after verse 8 which is indicated in the NIV. Verses 9-20 are printed after a break and a note. Without overwhelming you with all the reasons why most believe this, let me briefly mention the two main reasons.

The first has to do with The External Evidence: The two earliest and most reliable Greek MSS do not have verses 9-20. Furthermore, the testimony of some of the early church leaders, Eusebius (d. A.D. 39) and Jerome (d. A.D. 420) also seems to support this conclusion. Verses 9-20 (actually written three different ways in the Greek MSS) seem to have been added later to make Mark’s Gospel more complete. Medieval writers picked this up and so later English versions which are based on these texts included verses 9-20. The other reason had to do with The Internal Evidence: Language (vocabulary, grammar, style) of both the long and short endings is definitely not Mark. What is said doesn’t seem to fit with the context of Mark. It appears that whoever wrote verses 9-20 did so by pasting parts from the other Gospels, Matthew and Luke.

If Mark’s Gospel ends at verse 8, then it seems strange to us because there are no resurrection appearances, the story is unfinished, the women have yet to see Him, they are still a little confused as to what they have seen and heard. They are in amazement and they are still trying to make sense of it all. To know the rest of the story, we have to look in the other Gospels. The question is then, why would Mark end his gospel in this way? Mark, under the inspiration of God leaves the story open-ended on purpose. Mark apparently wanted an open ending to indicate that the story was not complete but was continuing beyond the time he wrote. He wanted his readers/hearers to continue the story in their own lives. Remember, one of Mark’s purposes for writing is to encourage discipleship.

Mark’s Purpose, The Why: (1) By stating that the women told no one, Mark challenged his readers/hearers to assume the responsibility of telling the good news to everyone. So you and I are to do what Mark says the women did not do, we are to “Go, tell.” (2) Mark also showed that ultimately Christian faith does not rest upon signs and miracles, even appearances of the risen Lord. After all, only five or six hundred persons (see 1 Cor. 15:5-8) ever saw Jesus after his resurrection, and it is unlikely that any of Mark’s original readers/hearers were among these. So here is an encouragement to walk by faith, to believe even though you do not see. By his ending, Mark challenged the disciples of his day, and he continues to challenge the disciples of today, to “see” by faith, to live and witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.

(3) Mark is reminding us that always Jesus goes before us; always he calls us forward to a new appearance in the Galilee of the nations, in the Galilee of our daily lives. The stance of the believer’s life is expectancy. The risen Christ meets us in our
daily lives.

Reflections on our text with our observance of the Lord’s Supper
1. The Jesus you remember in the Supper is the same “Jesus the Nazarene” who lived, who was crucified, and who rose again. The Supper is a living memorial and it so because the one you remember is still alive! Don’t forget that we worship the living God. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

2. In calling you to remember Him, Jesus calls you to follow Him in His mission. The Gospel story in Mark is yet to be proclaimed. It is unfinished. The unfinished task of preaching the crucified and risen Christ falls to you! We are the ones who are to take up the message of the angel and “Go, tell.” See Romans 10:13-15. Mark 16:15 may have been added later, but what it demands of us is true, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” The truth is, God does not need us to accomplish His plan, but he chooses to use us because he loves us.

3. Because Jesus is alive, you are reminded that He always goes before you and He always is calling you forward to a new appearance of Him in your daily life. Where could you “see” Jesus today in your Galilee? God is always going before you and he calls you to see him in the everyday events of your life.

Do you know this “Jesus the Nazarene” who was crucified and who has risen? Do you know Him who is Lord and Savior? And if so, are you following Him? Are you allowing Him to use you to “go and tell”? How can we know Him as Lord and not proclaim Him!

For His Glory!
Pastor Joe